Healthcare Professionals: What physical reaction does a person have when they receive a blood transfusion?

Question

Do the patient feel relief? Nausea? Nothing? Are there any delayed reactions? (Not talking about disease here.. just.. anything a person who receives blood might experience that the average person isn't aware of?). Do they feel stronger or lethargic? Is there any acclimation period when you take in a stranger's blood?

Someone in the Religion and Spirituality board mentioned their spouse was sick for over a week each time they took a blood transfusion. In your experience, is this statement an exaggeration about the effects of having a blood transfusion? Or could it be he was sick to begin with and recovering better than he would've without a transfusion?

I'm honestly curious. I've never had a blood transfusion and for most of my life having one was religiously taboo. Any information you have to share would be appreciated

I so appreciate all this information. The religion I was in demonized blood transfusions to a point where people are literally scared to death to get one and not just because it doesn't please their religion. They really fear transfusions and have all kinds of misconceptions about them. I plan to share this information, so thank you again.

Silenced, who knows.. maybe?

Answer 1

A person in a situation that required a transfusion would not really feel anything physically, providing the blood was typed and cross-matched correctly. Most folks don't get whole blood, they get either packed cells or plasma. As a rule, they tend to get better, since a lot of the healing that goes on depends on a good blood supply to get the materials to the site. They certainly need the blood to get oxygen to the rest of the system. When people feel odd after recieving blood, it's more an emotional reaction than a physical one. There are some problems that require transfusions, and in those cases the person is already not is such good shape and is stressing over their other problems. A hemophiliac may want to live a normal life, and having to have the transfusion may feel like a slap in their face- reminding them of their problem. When you treat somebody, a good bit of the treatment isn't just attending to the physical side of things. People are not just an injured part, they come with a brain attached and are full of emotions that you also have to attend to. So although the blood product itself won't physically cause a problem, you still have to deal with the person's feeling of having a "foreign" substance floating around inside them. When you start talking about somebody's insides, it doesn't get much more personal than that. I've had patients that didn't give it much thought, and others that it bugged. I've even been asked if we could tell what the donor was- if it was an oriental or whatever. Truth is, blood is blood, and as long as it's human and a match, your body doesn't really care. That doesn't mean the "person" won't. Physically you should show some improvement after gettting blood, but of course it's no guarentee you will because you were obviously in bad shape to start with or you wouldn't have needed blood. All the blood does is give you a fighting chance. It's a fair bet without it, things might not turn out so well. But medicine is an art, with a lot of science behind it. You don't just treat a disease or injury- you have to deal with the rest of the person as well. And as mind goes, body tends to follow. The art comes in how you treat the whole person, not the part.

Answer 2

When a patient gets a blood transfusion they have lost lots of blood.
They dont necessarily feel immediate relief, but as they get blood back into their system, and provided they are still not bleeding they feel better eventually.

Answer 3

if they have a reaction its usually pretty quickly onset.....when we transfuse blood we check vital signs initially, fifteen minutes after starting and at the end of infusion.....i myself have never seen really any physical reaction to a blood transfusion....

Answer 4

Possible Side Effects of Blood Transfusion
Reaction type
Signs & Symptoms
What to do

Mild allergic Rash, itching, hives or chills Call physician

Severe allergic Flushing, wheezing, dizziness, restlessness or uneasy feeling* Call physician immediately, go to Emergency Room or call 911


Fever Chills or unexpected fever over 100 degrees* Call physician

Hemolytic (destruction of red blood cells) Fever with chills, back pain, difficulty breathing, dizziness, unexplained bleeding, no urination or blood in urine Call physician immediately, go to Emergency Room or call 911

Hepatitis Onset in weeks to months, fever, dark urine, yellow skin, loss of appetite, feeling run down, nausea, joint pain, itching, enlarged liver, etc. Call physician


* Reactions occur immediately or within a few hours.
Most reactions to blood transfusions are minor and the benefits most often outweigh the risks.


Some potential risks of Blood Transfusion:

HIV infection, Hepatitis. antibody development and immune reaction; mild and allergies and fevers, clotting abnormalities; kidney damage.; and contamination by bacteria. .



To minimize the chance of an adverse reaction during a transfusion, health care practitioners take several precautions. Before starting the transfusion, usually a few hours or even a few days beforehand, a technician mixes a drop of the donor's blood with the recipient's to make sure they are compatible; this is called cross-matching. When a person's blood has been adequately tested and antibodies are not present, this process may be performed electronically by the blood bank computer system.


After double-checking labels on the bags of blood that are about to be given to ensure the units are intended for that recipient, the health care practitioner gives the blood to the recipient slowly, generally over 1 to 2 hours for each unit of blood. Because most adverse reactions occur during the first 15 minutes of the transfusion, the recipient is closely observed at first. After that, a nurse checks on the recipient periodically and must stop the transfusion if an adverse reaction occurs.

Most transfusions are safe and successful; however, mild reactions occur occasionally, and severe and even fatal reactions, rarely. The most common reactions are fever and allergic reactions (hypersensitivity), which occur in about 1 to 2% of transfusions. Symptoms of an allergic reaction include itching, a widespread rash, swelling, dizziness, and headache. Less common symptoms are breathing difficulties, wheezing, and muscle spasms. Rarely, an allergic reaction is severe enough to cause low blood pressure and shock.


Treatments are available that allow transfusions to be given to people who previously had allergic reactions to them. People who have allergic reactions to donated blood may have to be given washed red blood cells. Washing the red blood cells removes components of the donor blood that may cause allergic reactions. More commonly, the transfused blood is filtered to reduce the number of white blood cells (a process called leukocyte reduction). Leukocyte reduction is usually done by placing a special filter in the line through which the transfusion is flowing. Alternatively, the blood may be filtered before it is stored.

Despite careful typing and cross-matching of blood, mismatches can still occur that cause the transfused red blood cells to be destroyed shortly after the transfusion (a hemolytic reaction). Usually, this reaction starts as a general discomfort or anxiety during or immediately after the transfusion. Sometimes breathing difficulty, chest pressure, flushing, and severe back pain develop. Very rarely, the reactions become more severe and even fatal. A doctor can confirm that a hemolytic reaction i.e., destroying red blood cells by checking to see whether hemoglobin released from these cells is in the person's blood and urine.

Transfusion recipients can become overloaded with fluid. This transfusion acute lung injury related might occur in fours causes shortness of breath and accumulation of fluid inthe lungs. Recipients who have heart disease are most vulnerable. So their transfusions are given more slowly and they are monitored closely..


If you receive regular red cell transfusions; damaging amounts of iron will begin to collect in key organs such as the heart and liver. This is called iron overload (Hemochromatosis). Untreated, this can lead to severe organ damage that can be fatal.

Answer 5

Question: Pedi...davelennv...says that they rarely give whole blood...is the new belief by the WBTS saying Partial Blood is ok, or a matter of conscience, paving the way for any JW who is in need of blood to receive it?